Tambourine



TAMBOURINE.

No. 436,091.. PatentedSept. 9, 1890.

-UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE VAN ZANDT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TAMBOURINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,091, dated September 9, 1890.

Application filed March 12, 1890. Serial No. 343,680. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

BE it known that I, GEORGE-VAN ZANDT, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vibrating Heads for Tambourines, Banjos, and Drums, which is set forth in the following specification and drawings annexed, in which- Figure I shows in perspective a half-section of atambourine without any jingles, and Fig. 2 shows a section of part of the vibrating head on a magnified scale as to thickness.

The shell of the instrument is made of two concentricringsCandD,Fig.1. Thesetwoconcentric rings fit closely upon each other and hold between them the edge of the vibrating headAB. Aportionoftheheadisturneddownward, like a flange, over the top of the smaller ring, and it is clamped and fastened firmly in place by the binding pressure of the outer ring, and the friction thereby produced may be re-enforced with glue or cement, rivets, or screws. These rings together form the completed shell, and the line of partition between them may be perpendicular, as shown in the drawings, or diagonal, causing them to act as cone-shaped wedges upon each other, or it may be a corrugated line or a continuous screw-thread by which the outer ring is screwed downward over the vibrating head.

I do not limit my construct-ion to either form, only requiring that the friction be sufficient to hold the vibrating head firmly. WVhen the larger ring is in place, it completes the outline of the instrument smoothly and without any of the projecting tack-heads or brackets, heretofore considered necessary, though objectionable. A vibrating head made of rawhide, parchment, or vellum is liable to stretch and lose its tone in moist or changeable weather; but I substitute in place of the raw: hide a thin sheet of celluloid, zylonite, or pyralin. This substance does not stretch, and is sufficiently elastic to give a clear ringing tone when drawn tightly over the top of a tambourine-shell. In order to re-enforce the thin sheet of celluloid and to give it greater strength and for convenience in fastening it between the two halves of the shell, I also use a thin and strong cloth or net, which is stretched under the celluloid and attached to it by a suitable cement over all its surface or incorporated with it while in process of manufacture. The celluloid, however, maybe considered sufficiently strong for ordinary use without being thus re-enforced, and it produces a fairly-good result when used alone. By these means a very loud and clear ringing tone is produced and the instrument is fitted to endure moisture and changeable weather without injury.

A modification of the size of the concentric rings fits this instrument to become a part of a banjo or of a drum.

I claim as my invention,-

1. Ina tambourine, banjo, or drum, the combination of the two concentric rings 0 and D with the celluloid vibrating head, all substantially as specified.

2. In a tambourine, banjo, or drum, the celluloid vibrating head B, all substantially as described.

3. In a vibrating head for tambourine, banjo, or drum, the combination of the cloth or net A with a celluloid, zylonite, or pyralin surface 13, all substantially as set forth.

GEO. VAN ZANDT.

WVitnesses:

N. J. OOoNNELL, J. E. HENRIoUEs. 

